Cap



L. LESSER Aug. 29, 1950 CAP 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 11, 1947 INVENTOR ZAWRE/l/Cf. [5559 ATTORNEY L. LESSER Aug. 29, 1950 CAP 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 11, 1947 INVENTOR [Aw/Pave: (5355A? ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 29, 1950 OFFICE CAP Lawrence Lesser, New York, N. Y., assignor to L. Lesser & 00., a partnership Application March 11, 1947, Serial No. 738,941

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a uniform cap and relates'more particularly to an improved uniform cap of a highly resilient structure and adapted to resume its normal shape quickly and completely after distortion, as during packing and thelike.

'An object of this invention is to provide a uniform cap having an upstanding front supported by a stayer which is capable of being collapsed to permit economical packing and storage yet is of a sufiiciently resilient structure to be capable of returning the cap fully and completely to its original smart and clean lines.

Other objects of this invention will appear from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing,

-Fig..1 is a side-elevational view of the novel cap Structure of my invention, partly broken away, showing the means provided to support the crown of said cap,

Fig. 2 is a detail view, partly broken away, of the flexible and resilient structure supporting the crown, looking forward from the inside of the cap,

Fig. 3 is a sectional View taken along the line 33 of Fig. 2, looking downward,

Fig. 4 is another sectional view of the crown supporting means taken along the line 4-4 in Fig. 2, and V Fig. 5 is a detail view of another embodiment of my novel crown supporting structure.

Like reference numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views of the drawing.

Referring now to the drawing and more particularly to Fig. 1, the cap, generally indicated by reference numeral H3, comprises an outside fabric covering ll seamed at [2, the covering being detachably secured in fixed position on a stiff, woven, circular cane body [3,- which constitutes the head enveloping portion of said cap, by a fiat circular spring [4. The latter, which stretches fabric covering H. taut, is attached to the cane body l3 by means of a semi-stiff and resilient supporting front piece or stayer, generally indicated by reference numeral !5, and comprising a plurality of individual plies associated together in a manner hereinafter described in detail. Stayer I5 is taped along the upper portion thereof and seamed at IE to form a spring-retaining loop I! and'is attached to cane body 13 by suitable stitching l'8.

A visor or peak l9 stitched to said cane body I3 and a chin strap 20 affixed thereto'by means of suitable fasteners 2| cooperating with grommets (not shown) set in cane body |3,,complete the general structure. If desired, an oil-proof liner 22, as shown in Fig. 4, suspended from spring 14 by loops 23 may also be provided to prevent the natural oils of the hair from staining the fabric covering H. The fabric covering Il may be removed when desired by flexing spring M and drawing it forward and downward through the cane body l3. The release of the'spring tension from the inside of fabric covering I I allows it to collapse and to be slipped off cane body l3 after fasteners 2| are released.

The semi-stiff but resilient stayer 1'5, as shown in Figs. 2, 3, and '4, is formed of several fabric plies 0r layers. It will be appreciated, of course, that the vertical sections shown in Figs. 3 and 4 considerably exaggerate the thickness of the individual plies the exaggeration being, however, only for the sake Of clarity, the layers actually being only of a normal fabric thickness.

Thus, stayer l 5 comprises a central fan-shaped section 24, of haircloth, the latter being of the usual construction, as Well known in the art, and comprising a warp of cotton yarns having a filling of horsehair or other similar semi-stiff monofilamentary material. The haircloth section or ply 24 is backed with a cotton duck panel 25 and faced with a light, loosely woven net fabric 26. Between the haircloth fabric section 24 and the cotton duck panel 25 are a plurality of stiffening members 21, 28 and 29. Each of said stiffening members is of like construction and comprises a pair of flexible sections 30 of spring steel provided-with a suitable, semi-stiff covering material such as paper or the like. The paper or other material not only covers said spring steel sections El but also acts to separate and space the latter. A short stripof elastic material 3! is inserted through a slit 32in cotton duck backing 25 so that a. portion protrudes as shown in Fig, 2, and is available for attachment to the cane body l3 in a manner hereinafter described. The elastic strip 3! is normally placed between stiffening member 21 and the cotton duck backing 25.

stiffening members 21, 28 and 29 are assembled with haircloth section 24, cotton'duck panel 25, net fabric 26 and the elastic section 35 by suitable stitching. Stitching 33 holds stiffening member 29 in position, stitching 34 holds stiffening mem-' ber 23 in position, while stitching 35 holds stiffening member 2'! and elastic strip 3| in suitable position relative to the other fabric sections and panels. The whole stayer or front piece, indicated, as stated above, by reference numeral I5,

is taped at the sides with cotton or other fabric tapes 36/and 31'which are stitched at 38 and 39 *In lieu. of employing a s 3 respectively. The lowermost portion of stayer l5 isalso taped with a section of cotton or other fabric tape Ml attached thereto by stitching 4|. Tape 40 is doubled over and extends below the lowermost edges of haircloth section 24, cotton duck panel 25'and net fabric 26 so that said tape may act as a hinge in the final assembly.

While my invention resides in part in the combination of elements, heretofore described, which areeinployed in forming the stayer or front piece iii, an exceedingly important feature of my invention also resides, however, in the particular 7 manner in which stayer I5 is assembled with cane body i3 and the structural relation which the several elements comprising stayer 15, including stiffening elements 21, 28 and 29, bear to canebody [3 in the final assembled cap structure.

In order to impart the desired flexibility and resiliency to stayer 55 relative to cane body 13, the assembly of stayer l5 and cane body l3 must .erly'aligned and positioned in the final structure if the improved result is to be attained. Thus,,in attaching stayer l5 to'cane bodylt, the doubled-andstitched tape 40 is placed on cane body [350 that the lowermost portion of stiffen- 7 ing elements 21, 28 and 29 extend just below the With stayer l5, stiffening '2:

provided with a pair of narrow openings or slits 45 and 46 and elastic strips and 48 are inserted therein. Said elastic strips are placed in register with stiffening elements 29 and 28, respectively, and a portion of said strips is allowed to protrude from said slits, as shown. stiffening element 29 and. elastic strip 41 are stitched to each other and to the assembly of fabric plies or layers, including the haircloth =fabricsection 24, cotton duck panel and net fabric 26 by means of stitching 49. stiffening element 28 and elastic strip 48 are stitched to each other and to the assembly of fabric plies or layers comprising stayer [5 by stitching 50.

In attaching the resilient stayer l 5 to'cane body 13, the lowermost edges of stiffening elements 21, 28 and 29 are set just below the upper edge of cane body l3. Stayer I5 is then joined to cane body l3 by stitched seam l8. As described above, the. stitched seam I8 is inserted in doubled tape 40 andas close as possible to the lowermost edges of the fabric plies forming the stayer l5, namely, haircloth fabric section 24,, cotton duck panel 25 and net fabric'Zt. The protruding portions of elastic'strips 4'! and. 4 8 are then stretched sothat they are under tension and stitched to cane body of seam IS. The insertion and'placement of scam 18 must also beeflected precisely and, as shown clearly in Fig. 4, said seam I8 is placed as close to the lowermost edges of haircloth section 24, cotton duck panel '25 and net fabric 26 as possible without piercing the same. The dependent portion of elastic strip 3| is then drawn down so that it is under tension and is then stitched to cane body [3 by a seam 42,. If desired, a loosely woven,

stiffened fabric 43 attached to cane body i 3 by 'staples' i l '(only one of which is shown) may be employedfor covering the several seams. V

' When assembled in the particular and precise manner described, an extraordinar degree of resiliency and flexibility is imparted to the crown of the cap. Thus, when the crown of the cap is :forced downward and forward so that it is sub ,.stantially flattened; as during packing. and the like, regardless of the nature and extent of such deformation, upon release of the pressure causing such' deformation, the crown of the cap springs upward with littleor no manual aid due to the but the degree of deformation it undergoesunder such conditions may be substantially disregarded since the, resilient structure I provide eliminates 'all permanent distortion;

p 7 ingle, elastic'ls trip in forming'the novelcap structure'of my invention,

7 .a plurality of symmetrically'disposed elastic strips may be employed, asshown iniFig. 5., Thus, referringjto Fig. 5 it will be observed thatxthe 13 by stitched seams 5i and 52. When flat circular spring I4 is flexed and inserted into, fabric covering H, as described above, the latter is stretched taut and the upright stayer l5 gives the cap the desired smart, clean military lines. The

tailed description is given merely b way of illustration only and 'thatmany variations ma be made therein without departing from the spirit of my invention. 7 7

Having described my invention what I desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a uniform ca'p including a head-encircling member, an'enclosedcovering therefor and flat circular spring means fitted within said covering for stretching and shaping the same to form a V crown, .a flexiblasubstantially upright stayer vantages. 'Noto'nly may it be packed conveniently so that'the space itoccupies is at'aiminimum,

= the lower end of the vertically disposed'stiifening 'me n'ber associated therewith extends below the elements provided are associated together in the' L manner heretofore described but instead of a e sing e, elasticstripitherein, cotton duck panel is fiattenedand the plan'e of the flat circular spring attached at its lower end to a frontal segment of the he'ad-encirclingmember and to said flat circular spring means for spacing said spring means fromthe head-encircling member and raising the front of said crown whereby the plane of said fiat circular spring means is at an angle to the plane of said head-encircling member, said flexible, substantially upright stayer comprising aplurality-of assembled, coextensive fabric plies, and including in said assembly, at least. one vertically disposed stiffening member associated with and in fixed relation to said fabric plies, flexible hinge means connecting the lower edge of 'said stayer to the outer side of the head-encircling member so that upper'edge of the head-encircling member, tensioned elastic means having one end attached to said stayer and the other end to the inner side of the head-encircling member to'a'id in main taining the'stayer in 'a normally'upright, positionjbut permitting said .stayer and crown to be means to be brought substantially parallel to the plane of the head-encircling member when a distorting force is applied thereto.

2. In a uniform cap including a head-encircling member, an enclosed covering therefor and fiat circularspring means fitted within said covering for stretching and shaping the same to form a crown, a flexible, substantially upright stayer attached at its lower end to a frontal segment of the head-encircling member and at its upper end to said flat circular spring means for spacing said spring means from the head-encircling memher and raising the front of said crown whereby the plane of said flat circular spring means is at an angle to the plane of said head-encircling member, said flexible substantially upright stayer comprising a plurality of assembled, coextensive fabric plies in fixed relation to each other, and including in said assembly a centrally disposed stiffening member comprising a pair of fiat flexible spring means spaced apart in parallel relation associated with and in fixed relation to said fabric plies, flexible hinge means connecting the lower edge of said stayer to the outer side of the head-encircling member so that the lower end of the centrally disposed stiffening member associated therewith extends below the upper edge of the head-encircling member, tensioned elastic means substantially in alignment with the centrally disposed stiffening member having one end attached to said stayer and the other end to the inner side of the head-encircling member to aid in maintaining the flexible fabric ply means in a normally upright position, but permitting said upright means and crown to be flattened and the plane of the flat circular spring means to be brought substantially parallel to the plane of the head-encircling member when a distorting force is applied thereto.

3. In a uniform cap including a head-encircling member, an enclosed covering therefor and flat circular spring means fitted within said covering for stretching and shaping the same to form a crown, a, flexible, substantially upright stayer attached at its lower end to a frontal segment of the head-encircling member and at its upper end to said flat circular spring means for spacing said spring means from the head-encircling member and raising the front of said crown whereby the plane of said flat circular spring means is at an angle to the plane of said headencircling member, said flexible substantially upright stayer comprising a plurality of assembled coextensive fabric plies in fixed relation to each other, and including in said assembly a centrally disposed stiifening member and a pair of outer stiffening members in substantial alignment therewith, one on each side thereof, associated with and in fixed relation to said fabric plies, each of said stiffening members comprising a pair of fiat flexible spring elements spaced apart in parallel relationship, flexible hinge means connecting the lower edge of said stayer to the outer side of the head-encircling member by stitching closely adjacent to the lower edge of the stayer without piercing the same, the lower edge of the stayer being positioned so that the lower ends of the vertically disposed stiffening members associated therewith extend below the upper edge of the head-encircling member, a pair of tensioned elastic means each being substantially in registered alignment with the outer stiffening members, said tensioned elastic means having the upper end of each attached to said stayer and the lower end of each to the inner side of the head-encircling member to aid in maintaining the flexible fabric ply means in a normally upright position, but permitting said upright means and crown to be flattened and the plane of the flat circular spring means to be brought substantially parallel to the plane of the head-encircling member when a distorting force is applied thereto.

LAWRENCE LESSER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 563,053 Pachner June 30, 1896 1,721,332 Caplan July 16, 1929 2,076,169 Wipperman Apr. 6, 1937 2,368,825 Goldman Feb. 6, 1945 2,393,270 Schlesinger Jan. 22, 1946 2,428,639 Springer Oct. 7, 1947 

